A Matter of Time
by ShootinSta
Summary: Tobias is granted a request by the Ellimist. A request that will allow Rachel to come back. The only problem is, Tobias must find a way to work time, and time never does the things you want it to.


There was a flash. Followed by a crushing blackness. 

A resounding crashed echoed throughout the area, space alight with the flames of two burning ships. 

Tobias was engulfed in black. He couldn't believe that Jake had ordered them to ram the _Rachel_ into the Blade Ship. It was a shame the _Rachel_ had to be destroyed in such a fashion. Though, it seemed like the perfect way for her to go, just as the real Rachel would've wanted it. It was a shame he had to lose two Rachels. He was rather fond of the ship. But now it was now crushed into the Blade Ship. It was a…peculiar decision to say the very least. Suicidal, but it worked in its own way. 

It wasn't like it mattered to him, anyway. He was probably just on this mission for pity. The poor nothlit that lost his true love, of course they had to bring him. It wasn't important anyway. He'd been living a lonely, one-sided life that revolved around the past few years and Rachel. He was miserable example of a bird. Toby and Cassie had to visit often just to make sure he'd been eating. Sometimes he didn't feel like catching mice and other poor animals. Killing them reminded him of the one-sided battle Rachel had last fought. And that brought him to remembering her last words. 

And he didn't mind the fact that his mind was slowly getting foggy. At least he could forget about Rachel. What made her do that suicidal act for Jake, he'd never know. He only longed to stop her from doing it. Then he could be with her now. It tortured him night and day, wondering if there was anything he ever do that would stop her. Scenario after scenario. A new one every day. 

But just when he thought it was over. Just when he thought he was finally through with his torment, he wasn't.

He was in a void. Nothing above, below or around him. Only black. Was this death? He still felt, quite, alive. He didn't think he wanted to spend all of eternity just staring off into…nothing. So, it couldn't be that he was really dead. Maybe he was just…Well, he wasn't quite sure yet. But around those thoughts was when the Ellimist slowly appeared before him.. 

"Tobias," the grandfatherly figure said, grimly staring down at him, "I believe that I owe a debt to you. For taking away your father…"

"Huh?" Tobias asked, just now beginning to notice that he was a human, not his usual hawk self. He was confused. Why wasn't he dead? He should be. He wanted to be. So why was he _here_? It didn't make any sense, and now the Ellimist was talking to him about his father? What in the world was going on? It couldn't be anything good, whatever it was. Nothing with the Ellimist ever turned out very good; only very, very few things. 

"I, am going to grant you a request Tobias. But nothing, I repeat nothing, straightforward. You must accomplish it yourself." 

Even more confusing. But the part about the request seemed to sink right into his brain. "You can bring Rachel back?"

"If you can think of the means, it can be done," The Ellimist raised a hand, "As I said, you must go about doing it yourself. I cannot. It's up to you to decide what you wish to do."

Tobias sat in silence for a long while, trying to think over every encounter, everything he had learned about the Ellimist. He couldn't think of very much, only the fact that he came and went whenever he wanted. And messed up a lot of things. Tobias wondered if the Ellimist even cared that Rachel had died. He probably didn't. There were so many other, more important lives to worry about after all. But that didn't mean he himself didn't care about Rachel. He loved Rachel, and struggled for a thought to bring her back with. 

"Don't…don't you have those…like strings-of-time things? Could I, maybe see one of those? Rachel's?" 

The Ellimist nodded. And in a flash, there was the line, intermixed with the other five lines of himself and the other Animorphs, all travelling through the void. Only, they weren't moving anymore. They all had stopped at slightly different points. Rachel's, obviously, was the shortest line of them all. Then Ax, then his own line, Marco and Jake's lines. He stared closely Rachel's. He had to find the exact moment…

"And I can do whatever I want with these?"

"Yes, Tobias."

"If I mess up, can I have another chance at it?" He had to cover all the bases, make sure he could get her back. There had to be a way, and if it took a thousand tries, he'd get Rachel back. It was his only option, his only waking thought. As many times as it took, he'd be willing, even if it took a lifetime. It would all be worth it. 

"Yes, you may. Choose carefully with what you do, though. Time can be tricky. Even I have yet to master it entirely."

Tobias ignored his warning, walking the length of Rachel's line to its end. Somewhere near here was where he had to go. Then he could persuade her not to go on that ship, or maybe even go with her. At least he could get some help onto the Blade Ship. She wouldn't die. And he would be happy. The war would end, and maybe, just maybe, he'd become a human nothlit and…marry Rachel. He only had to get her back first, and then he could see how it all unfolded.

He slowly set his finger on the line, just near enough the end of it that he knew he could see Rachel before she went on that mission for Jake. He pushed his arm through the growing sliver in the void, a wing emerging in it's other spot. He continued to push through, before he emerged as his hawk self. He was back on Earth. And there was Rachel, walking away. 

He'd gotten it right. It was just before they had separated. He flapped his wings, getting used to the sudden jump from human to bird. 

Rachel? He called out, flying up into the air.

"Yeah Tobias?" She turned around, a 'brow cocked in curiosity. She probably hadn't expected him to meet up with her.

Don't do it. A simple warning. He knew he'd have to do some convincing. But he knew he could get her to stay. He just had to talk with her, make her understand what he was feeling. She'd have to reconsider. She'd _have_ to. 

She paused, blinking. "What in the world are you talking about Tobias?"

Don't get on the Blade Ship, Rachel. It's not worth it. It. Is. Not. Worth. It. 

She stared at him, before quickly shaking her head. She started walking off once again. "You don't get it, Tobias. That's why I didn't tell you. I have to do this."

No you don't Rachel. We'll do fine without you on the Blade Ship. Just because Tom will disappear with the ship won't mean a thing. Rachel, He winged after her. He had to convince her, _Please._ He was desperate. He had longed for such a long time to see her, to erase her death. This was his chance, and it wasn't working. 

He watched her heave a sigh, continuing to shake her head. If only she could know how tortured he was. He had to get the point across to her! She just wouldn't back down. He should've known how stubborn she'd be, with him pleading to her. "Tobias. I'll be fine. And if I'm not, well, the world _doesn't_ revolve around me, contrary to popular belief."

How could he explain? It was almost impossible. It wasn't easy to say he was from the future and knew exactly how the next three years would turn out. 'Oh. Hi. You're gonna die on a that suicidal mission. Hang out on the Pool Ship with the rest of us? Oh yeah, I'm from three years in the future, so I know exactly how it turns out'. She wouldn't go for that. Rachel…I love you. I beg you, please, please, don't go. For me. 

She turned around again, tears shining in her stunningly blue eyes. "Tobias, I have to. Jake, he trusted me…"

I don't want you to die.

"I won't die. Hey, I've been up against worse odds." 

Even he knew she didn't believe a single word she had said. They both knew that she was going to die, he just knew it as _history_. And it wasn't working to change history, either. I know these things, Rachel. Trust me. Don't go. Don't go.

"Fine," she sighed, staring up at him, "I won't go. But if they escape, and go on a killing rampage, I'm blaming you, alright?" 

Tobias almost fell from the sky with happiness. He did it! She was going to be alive now, be with him. And the war would be over…And he could forget about the last three years. He'd be happy. And Rachel would be there with him! They wouldn't be the 'Forgotten Animorphs'. His life's wish was coming true. Finally. _Finally_. 

*

Everything was going exactly as planned on the Pool Ship. Rachel was hiding on Tobias as a flea, and they were quickly on their way to taking the ship. _And winning the war_, Tobias thought happily to himself. And Rachel would be there to see it with him. He'd have his chance to live happily ever after. His dream.

If only he hadn't forgotten a few details.

As the Blade Ship began firing on the Pool Ship, he had forgotten that Erek was draining power to the weapons. He forgot that if Rachel wasn't there to stop Tom, he would've fired on the bridge.

And since Rachel wasn't there, Tom fired.

The last thing Tobias saw was a searing burst of light. And the last thing he heard was Rachel's agonized scream. 

*

"So close, Tobias, so close. As I said, Time is a tricky thing," The Ellimist spoke as soon as Tobias reentered the void. 

What had gone wrong? Why hadn't he seen that Tom was going to fire? There had to be something to do instead… "I need another chance!" He screamed, staring wide-eyed at the old man. 

"I said you could have another chance, and so you will. Only choose your actions wisely, Tobias. I may not grant you another opportunity."

Tobias sat, trying to figure out what more he could do. And the strangest idea came into his mind. The Time Matrix. Use the strings to get the Time Matrix, use the Time Matrix to save Rachel. There couldn't be anything that would go wrong with _that_ plan. No one needed to use the Time Matrix, anyway. 

It was relatively easy to find the point with the Time Matrix; the only problem he had had was remembering all that had happened. But when he remembered back to when he and the others had jumped back in time to stop that couple from meeting. He noticed that he had left a tiny segment of a line there. Jump in, grab the Matrix, save Rachel. Easy as pie.

Stepping into the segment, Tobias quickly winged his way over to the Time Matrix. Laying a talon the sphere, he thought of the Blade Ship in the future, and in a flash, he was jerked into that time period. 

Only it was…different. Not only Rachel was there, as a _human_, so were all the other Animorphs. 

"Intruder!" A Hork-Bajir, who closely resembled Toby, shouted, pointing at the newly appeared bird. 

A smirk appeared on Rachel's face, "Tobias. Good to see you after so long. Didn't you abandon us, so many years ago?" 

Tobias was confused. He didn't abandon them…He only stole the Time Matrix and disappeared out of the timeline for four years. This plan was working even worse than the first. Rachel? I didn't mean to…

"Call me Visser One, bird. And all the other Animorphs have pretty little Yeerks in their heads as well. I'm rather lucky Aximili was killed…Or else he'd be Visser One. Quite lucky, yes?" He knew that Rachel had mentioned Ax only to strike a nerve with him. And it was working. That, alongside the fact Rachel was a Controller, was definitely enough to strike a nerve.

"Rachel needed you, didn't she, Visser Two?" Her head inclined towards Marco, a sneer crossing her face as she did so.

"Yes, quite. Without you, they were all caught in one easy swoop. Who knows what would've happened if you had been there." 

This plan had backfired, that much was obvious. The Yeerks must've taken over Earth. There was no way there'd be any end to the war now. This wasn't supposed to happen…

"Oh well, bird. It worked out rather well for us," she raised a Dracon weapon aimed straight as his falcon head, "You know what Rachel did when we were pushing her head into the Pool, Tobias?"

No. And I don't want to know. His only choice was to let her shoot him. It was the only way to have another chance…If the Ellimist would even allow it. 

"She was screaming your name. Screaming for your help, for you to come and rescue her. She was silenced oh so quickly…" Rachel, the Yeerk, smiled. It was twisted, even for Rachel. 

Shut up! Shut up and leave us alone!

Rachel laughed. "Sorry, little birdie. I'm afraid I have other plans for you." She, and all the other former Animorphs burst into a fit of laughter as she fired her weapon. Tobias was gone before he even had a chance to plead towards _his_ Rachel. 

*

"That dear Tobias, was not your best idea. Even I could do better than that," The Ellimist. Tobias always had to go back to the Ellimist, didn't he? 

"Just leave me alone! I'm sick of your games. I just want Rachel back!" Tobias was on the verge of a breakdown. A sobbing, mental breakdown. There was nothing he could do to get Rachel back. Nothing to erase the pain of the past three years. Nothing! 

"You did your best. Now you will go to where you were meant to be."

Tobias nodded. Death. His salvation. Oh, how he had been waiting for this. 

*

He felt as if a gale wind had carried him away. And when he opened his eyes, which was a confusing aspect, he saw a meadow. _His_ meadow, back from during the war. And he was still human, not the bird form he was cursed to reside in. The Ellimist was playing tricks again. Or, he thought he was, until he heard a voice.

"Tobias! I've been waiting for you. Oh Tobias!" 

It was Rachel. 

His dream had at long last come true.


End file.
